For being an NES game that came out in 1986, the year where many beloved Nintendo franchises were born, like The Legend of Zelda and Metroid, Kid Icarus is one that is not remembered as much as the others. It also doesn't help that there are only three games in the series, and that the most recent one took more than 20 years to come out after the second game.
It has also been over 10 years since that third game came out, and we are not even sure if there will be another anytime soon.
Even so, I felt like revisiting the first game in the series, Kid Icarus on the NES. This isn't my first time playing this game, as I played it a few years ago, and remember feeling that it was a hard game, but fine at its core, and that's that.
I feel like my opinion of this game has slightly become more positive since last time, as this second playthrough made me pay a bit more attention to many of the mechanics this game has.
But first of all, you might be wondering, what is this game?
Taking place in Greek Mythology, we follow the journey of Pit, a little angel that can't fly, who's trying to save Lady Palutena from the clutches of Medusa, who's trying to take over the Skyworld.
Pretty simple plot, which makes sense considering the limitations of the time.
In terms of gameplay, Kid Icarus is a platformer where you jump and shoot arrows as your main projectile. Pit feels a bit slippery to control, but I eventually got used to it.
Just like fellow NES platformer Super Mario Bros., Kid Icarus also has plenty of side-scrolling levels, whether vertically or horizontally. Actually, you'll find more vertical ones than horizontal ones. And the game does suffer the same issue as that game, where you can't go back after parts of the stage go off-screen. In the case of the vertical levels, this means that you will die if you fall in something that was there before, but no longer is on-screen.
I didn't really mind it too much, but it is something to consider.
Something that is going to be pretty noticeable though is the difficulty. I wouldn't really call Kid Icarus one of the hardest games I've played, but it does challenge you and you do have to be careful and patient with your surroundings.
But unlike other NES games, I feel like this game gets slightly easier the further you progress. The reason? Well, after you reach a certain score, Pit will gain more health, and by destroying more enemies and getting hearts, you'll get points easily.
And the second reason involves something unique to this game. In the stages, you'll find many doors that you can go through, and after you leave them, they will be closed permanently. What's behind each door varies, as they can be home to: a shop, where you can use the hearts you gather to buy helpful items; an enemy room, where you defeat enemies to gain more hearts; or a challenge room, where you will be given an endurance challenge and after you beat it, you gain access to an additional weapon.
And these weapons rock, as they can give you a projectile that pierces through enemies, or a barrier that helps you defeat enemies close to you (it doesn't protect you though).
With these upgrades and power-ups by your side, you will eventually get used to the game and the game will start becoming easier the more you play it.
There are three worlds in this game, with 4 acts each, and in the 4th act of each world, you'll be in a Fortress level. These levels are very different from others in the game, as these are more like mazes similar to dungeons in the Zelda series.
I did get lost in these, and it was a bit hard figuring out where to go, but I didn't mind the design of these levels too much.
But these levels also contain something interesting. See, throughout the game, you may pick up hammers. Well, in the Fortress levels, by pressing the Select button, you'll be able to use a hammer to destroy statues and save these little angels, that will help Pit fight that Fortress' boss. That is pretty neat!
And speaking of the bosses... they're okay. I think after the 2nd boss, the rest of the bosses don't put much of a fight, as long as you dodge their slow movements.
In regards to the presentation, it's decent for an early NES title. The stages can be a bit barren when it comes to background, but enemy designs are unique and varied, and I liked how some stages looked. The music, while a bit limited, is well composed, and some of these tracks are pretty memorable, I'd say.
Overall, Kid Icarus, while it can be challenging and some levels were not the greatest, it can be a pretty fun NES platformer, thanks to its power-ups and good level design in most levels.
It has also been over 10 years since that third game came out, and we are not even sure if there will be another anytime soon.
Even so, I felt like revisiting the first game in the series, Kid Icarus on the NES. This isn't my first time playing this game, as I played it a few years ago, and remember feeling that it was a hard game, but fine at its core, and that's that.
I feel like my opinion of this game has slightly become more positive since last time, as this second playthrough made me pay a bit more attention to many of the mechanics this game has.
But first of all, you might be wondering, what is this game?
Taking place in Greek Mythology, we follow the journey of Pit, a little angel that can't fly, who's trying to save Lady Palutena from the clutches of Medusa, who's trying to take over the Skyworld.
Pretty simple plot, which makes sense considering the limitations of the time.
In terms of gameplay, Kid Icarus is a platformer where you jump and shoot arrows as your main projectile. Pit feels a bit slippery to control, but I eventually got used to it.
Just like fellow NES platformer Super Mario Bros., Kid Icarus also has plenty of side-scrolling levels, whether vertically or horizontally. Actually, you'll find more vertical ones than horizontal ones. And the game does suffer the same issue as that game, where you can't go back after parts of the stage go off-screen. In the case of the vertical levels, this means that you will die if you fall in something that was there before, but no longer is on-screen.
I didn't really mind it too much, but it is something to consider.
Something that is going to be pretty noticeable though is the difficulty. I wouldn't really call Kid Icarus one of the hardest games I've played, but it does challenge you and you do have to be careful and patient with your surroundings.
But unlike other NES games, I feel like this game gets slightly easier the further you progress. The reason? Well, after you reach a certain score, Pit will gain more health, and by destroying more enemies and getting hearts, you'll get points easily.
And the second reason involves something unique to this game. In the stages, you'll find many doors that you can go through, and after you leave them, they will be closed permanently. What's behind each door varies, as they can be home to: a shop, where you can use the hearts you gather to buy helpful items; an enemy room, where you defeat enemies to gain more hearts; or a challenge room, where you will be given an endurance challenge and after you beat it, you gain access to an additional weapon.
And these weapons rock, as they can give you a projectile that pierces through enemies, or a barrier that helps you defeat enemies close to you (it doesn't protect you though).
With these upgrades and power-ups by your side, you will eventually get used to the game and the game will start becoming easier the more you play it.
There are three worlds in this game, with 4 acts each, and in the 4th act of each world, you'll be in a Fortress level. These levels are very different from others in the game, as these are more like mazes similar to dungeons in the Zelda series.
I did get lost in these, and it was a bit hard figuring out where to go, but I didn't mind the design of these levels too much.
But these levels also contain something interesting. See, throughout the game, you may pick up hammers. Well, in the Fortress levels, by pressing the Select button, you'll be able to use a hammer to destroy statues and save these little angels, that will help Pit fight that Fortress' boss. That is pretty neat!
And speaking of the bosses... they're okay. I think after the 2nd boss, the rest of the bosses don't put much of a fight, as long as you dodge their slow movements.
In regards to the presentation, it's decent for an early NES title. The stages can be a bit barren when it comes to background, but enemy designs are unique and varied, and I liked how some stages looked. The music, while a bit limited, is well composed, and some of these tracks are pretty memorable, I'd say.
Overall, Kid Icarus, while it can be challenging and some levels were not the greatest, it can be a pretty fun NES platformer, thanks to its power-ups and good level design in most levels.
Reading Nintendo Power from 2003 to 2008 had me under the impression that Kid Icarus was a masterpiece, a true gem of the 8-bit era that everyone had just slept on, blindly missing out on its majesty.
why tho
why tho
Much more of a 3 if someone were to release this today but gets points for being from the mid-80s. What stuck out to me the most was world 2 - and how the art and platforming challenges would smoothly change over a level. It reminded me of those giant , horizontal wall paintings describing an epic myth or the like - world 2 being like a contracted narration of Pit's journey across the world. The vertical worlds were okay, but not as visually interesting imo
The more glaring missteps aside, I like how precise Pit's movement and the economy of the arrows feel. At some times the enemies are a bit too fast and nimble to mesh well with the movement (the 'money rooms' with 8 of those quick-moving enemies often face this problem), but at other times the movement really shines (like the world 2 boss - I think that was an amazingly elegant application of the game's rules). Reminds me of some of the gunplay from later games like Cave Story or Kero Blaster.
I actually like the ways the vertical section's platforming gets trickier and trickier - world 3's areas where you need to shoot those demons while going back and forth from different sides of the screen were a highlight. (Even if the punishment of dying from falling is way too high...)
The money economy sort of made sense. I liked how you're encouraged to take a bit of risk to clear out screens of enemies so that you could buy health potions later. I feel like the healing springs were a bit overpowered, though...
That being said, this game reminds me of modern roguelites, especially Kid Icarus's room mechanic. The way you get a random assortment of items in the stores. As the game goes on and it gets easier to maintain a safe amount of health, the rooms become less interesting, although I appreciate the fortress levels removing your (overpowered?) weapon/armor upgrades.
The fortress levels were a cool twist, although they never amount to any kind of interesting spatial feeling - merely a labyrinth that feels randomly generated (despite being hand-authored). The need to buy the mapping items is a mistake - smaller dungeons without maps or automapping from the start would have been more interesting.
Other than that, I do love the kind of structural play Kid Icarus does with the labyrinth, vertical and horizontal levels...even if it's not executed great all the time
The finale was disappointing - to me, turning the game into a poorly executed shmup was not the best way to make finding these 'three great treasures' feel exciting. Pit's movement is slow and imprecise, the level often boring with lots of waiting, the only reasonable Medusa strategy (hanging to the back of the screen) feels like a cheese more than anything. If you removed the flying and made it a high or double jump, then built some enemies around pit's Light Arrow and the Shielding Mechanic, that could have made for a fun twist on what the game had been building up the whole way.
The more glaring missteps aside, I like how precise Pit's movement and the economy of the arrows feel. At some times the enemies are a bit too fast and nimble to mesh well with the movement (the 'money rooms' with 8 of those quick-moving enemies often face this problem), but at other times the movement really shines (like the world 2 boss - I think that was an amazingly elegant application of the game's rules). Reminds me of some of the gunplay from later games like Cave Story or Kero Blaster.
I actually like the ways the vertical section's platforming gets trickier and trickier - world 3's areas where you need to shoot those demons while going back and forth from different sides of the screen were a highlight. (Even if the punishment of dying from falling is way too high...)
The money economy sort of made sense. I liked how you're encouraged to take a bit of risk to clear out screens of enemies so that you could buy health potions later. I feel like the healing springs were a bit overpowered, though...
That being said, this game reminds me of modern roguelites, especially Kid Icarus's room mechanic. The way you get a random assortment of items in the stores. As the game goes on and it gets easier to maintain a safe amount of health, the rooms become less interesting, although I appreciate the fortress levels removing your (overpowered?) weapon/armor upgrades.
The fortress levels were a cool twist, although they never amount to any kind of interesting spatial feeling - merely a labyrinth that feels randomly generated (despite being hand-authored). The need to buy the mapping items is a mistake - smaller dungeons without maps or automapping from the start would have been more interesting.
Other than that, I do love the kind of structural play Kid Icarus does with the labyrinth, vertical and horizontal levels...even if it's not executed great all the time
The finale was disappointing - to me, turning the game into a poorly executed shmup was not the best way to make finding these 'three great treasures' feel exciting. Pit's movement is slow and imprecise, the level often boring with lots of waiting, the only reasonable Medusa strategy (hanging to the back of the screen) feels like a cheese more than anything. If you removed the flying and made it a high or double jump, then built some enemies around pit's Light Arrow and the Shielding Mechanic, that could have made for a fun twist on what the game had been building up the whole way.
In the best ending your divine girlfriend bestows upon you the gift of totally bypassing puberty. Kid Icarus? How about Tom of Finland-ass beefcake Icarus now, bicth. It's as much a gift for her as it is for you.
his name isn't even icarus
Kid Icarus seems like any other straightforward action platformer, and in 1986 why would you expect anything else? But Nintendo R&D1 really did make something innovative and cool for the time: an interesting blend of action and adventure gaming. Underneath the challenging platforming there's an experience point system, leveling up, currency and gear, and multiple endings to achieve; all along to the music of Hip Tanaka! It's a shame that it's all obfuscated in typical 1980s videogame design.
"wow the original kid icarus is really fun and cool once you get past the pretty difficult early stages!"
kid named enemy specifically designed to be unkillable and permanently steal your items that you got by doing challenge rooms with no way to get them back unless do said challenge room again, pay an extortiate sum of hearts or you kill yourself before the stage ends (the items you get make the game way more enjoyable):
kid named enemy specifically designed to be unkillable and permanently steal your items that you got by doing challenge rooms with no way to get them back unless do said challenge room again, pay an extortiate sum of hearts or you kill yourself before the stage ends (the items you get make the game way more enjoyable):
Far from the best NES game but definitely overhated.
I finally took the time to push past the first level and it really gets going by that point when you get strength powerups and the bow upgrade.
Level design is pretty cool, especially the boss labyrinth levels, feels very inspired by the original Zelda which I imagine was being worked on at the same time.
Overall a good NES game and I think it deserves the frustrating first 30 minutes to get past the first stage or two!
I finally took the time to push past the first level and it really gets going by that point when you get strength powerups and the bow upgrade.
Level design is pretty cool, especially the boss labyrinth levels, feels very inspired by the original Zelda which I imagine was being worked on at the same time.
Overall a good NES game and I think it deserves the frustrating first 30 minutes to get past the first stage or two!
Good balance between platforming and action game, with a certain richness in the mechanics. The inertia is good and makes the fights quite enjoyable. We can regret the cryptic nature of the bonuses and the fact that a death is largely punitive, since it ruins the farming efforts. The dungeons lack a little elegance, especially in the mapping, but are welcome additions to the game. The title thus mixes several different genres with some success: nothing is particularly brilliant, but the whole retains a charming coherence.
Before Kratos there was Pit and I can tell you that he didn't leave much of an impression compared to Kratos.
This is a very mediocre game, who would've known! This is a common early NES game issue, they tend to be really frustrating and just not fun enough to complete.
This is a platformer game, unsurprising for an NES game, and the obvious goal is to get to the end of each stage. The main idea of Kid Icarus is kinda fun and doesn't seem all that hard but with the number of enemies spawning right next to you, above you or anywhere else you don't expect them to be trust me they will be there and at the worst moment. Otherwise, for an NES game, it's pretty in-depth since this game doesn't rely on a high score system since there's an actual ending but good luck getting there without cheats or saves states because you will die over and over and with how repetitive this game is it's not like Super Mario Bros 1 or 3 where when you lose it's like "Aw man, guess I'll try it again" No with Kid Icarus it's just "I'm not grinding hearts ever again fuck this game".
Should you play this game? Dear god no, it's not worth going back-... to this version, maybe you should check out the 3D classic version of the game on the 3DS.
This is a very mediocre game, who would've known! This is a common early NES game issue, they tend to be really frustrating and just not fun enough to complete.
This is a platformer game, unsurprising for an NES game, and the obvious goal is to get to the end of each stage. The main idea of Kid Icarus is kinda fun and doesn't seem all that hard but with the number of enemies spawning right next to you, above you or anywhere else you don't expect them to be trust me they will be there and at the worst moment. Otherwise, for an NES game, it's pretty in-depth since this game doesn't rely on a high score system since there's an actual ending but good luck getting there without cheats or saves states because you will die over and over and with how repetitive this game is it's not like Super Mario Bros 1 or 3 where when you lose it's like "Aw man, guess I'll try it again" No with Kid Icarus it's just "I'm not grinding hearts ever again fuck this game".
Should you play this game? Dear god no, it's not worth going back-... to this version, maybe you should check out the 3D classic version of the game on the 3DS.
Seems like an evolution of Metroid, but you have to grind for everything(HP, strength, coins, even to face the final boss) which grows tiresome, specially in the beginning where you're very weak and have few weapons at your disposal. Also has missable itens which are needed to get stronger and get the best ending, definitely recommend a guide or a map, specially for the confusing dungeon levels.
probably the best NES soundtrack along with kirbys adventure
I like this but I am just not good enough to beat it and I have to just hold that
0/10 Some dude thre a eggplant on my head. Fuck that guy.
No.
The time has come for the true Pit to step forward. Who will you guys choose? Me, or this fake! But turns out, he might just be good enough to be my fake. Also, I'm technically supposed to be the Dark Pit. But idk this user name came from spur of the moment when I was 11, sometimes there is nothing more to things. The same thought process applies to Kid Icarus to a T! Sometimes, less is more. Still, I would've liked it more if there was more, it works alright, but a little pizzazz would suffice. I guess this ain't no Teen Icarus huh. Have you guys seen the reject project for "Icarus" on the Wii? Good heavens. The kind Pit lives in. I don't know how they thought it would actually happen. The dark HAS to be underlying. Or maybe river twygz from Super Paper Mario gave them false hope? History sure is fascinating.
Oh, the game? Oh right. You know, Pit is that G when you think about how he leads an army whilst not being able to fly and arrows that don't last the winter. Bro thought he was him and I have to be reminded that, yes he is. I happen to read manuals for old games, and there are multiple pages for the lore, sadly I must say it's a waste of paper ain't nobody fw allat 😂 although it does explain the most iconic part if the game where you can collect mallets and use those toabsolutely murder like holy shit Pit has cojones free one member of your army to help you against the level's boss. This is probably what led the designers to make them HP sponges, but that's still a tad excessive ain't it? Metroid kinnie 😭 I'm giving the bad guy my arrows like he's collecting my lunch money. In days like these, naughty kids like Icarus should be burning in Hell (pretty chill place in this game ngl ngl).
It's not a very hard game, is it? It's pretty fair even with some enemy placements that an overworked employee might have cooked up. I suppose it mainly refers to labyrinths. Being forced to become an eggplant? Fuck off my man, I do not identify as no eggplant no sir 🖕 who let the far left ideology in my kids game?? Nah that's crazy though cuz enemies rain from the sky and everytime I aim upwards, it's a hit & miss... then I get robbed by one of Snow White's lackeys and I have to hit the black market to retrieve the stolen goods. The kids game might not be so kiddy??! Also there is free healthcare thank god I thought I might have been american but I am scottish 🙏 I think the lack of walls in favor of rising the killzone works wonder for the vertically focused platformer. You lose some cover as you progress, if you're not happy with it fuck it here's a scrolling shooter. Scroll deez nuts!!
Oh, the game? Oh right. You know, Pit is that G when you think about how he leads an army whilst not being able to fly and arrows that don't last the winter. Bro thought he was him and I have to be reminded that, yes he is. I happen to read manuals for old games, and there are multiple pages for the lore, sadly I must say it's a waste of paper ain't nobody fw allat 😂 although it does explain the most iconic part if the game where you can collect mallets and use those to
It's not a very hard game, is it? It's pretty fair even with some enemy placements that an overworked employee might have cooked up. I suppose it mainly refers to labyrinths. Being forced to become an eggplant? Fuck off my man, I do not identify as no eggplant no sir 🖕 who let the far left ideology in my kids game?? Nah that's crazy though cuz enemies rain from the sky and everytime I aim upwards, it's a hit & miss... then I get robbed by one of Snow White's lackeys and I have to hit the black market to retrieve the stolen goods. The kids game might not be so kiddy??! Also there is free healthcare thank god I thought I might have been american but I am scottish 🙏 I think the lack of walls in favor of rising the killzone works wonder for the vertically focused platformer. You lose some cover as you progress, if you're not happy with it fuck it here's a scrolling shooter. Scroll deez nuts!!
Perhaps the funniest difficulty curve to come out of Nintendo but you're never beating the allegations buddy
Over the many years that they have been a company, Nintendo has created many franchises, with them still making entries for a good number of them to this very day. However, there have been plenty of franchises they have made that they let slowly die over the years with a major lack of releases, such as F-Zero, Earthbound, and Advance Wa- wait a minute, that last one is getting a remake soon, never mind on that one. Anyway, you get the point, there are many dead Nintendo franchises, and one of the ones that has been treated more poorly than most of the others would be Kid Icarus.
Whenever people bring this series up, they mainly talk about Kid Icarus: Uprising (as they should, because that game is fucking amazing), but in terms of the original Kid Icarus, the one that started it all, it still holds up pretty well, and I had a pretty good time with it overall. I wouldn't consider it perfect by any means, but it does still hold up quite a bit after all this time.
The story is simple, yet it is enough to get you engaged (at least for me), the graphics are good, even if they don't look as good as other NES games at the time, the music is very catchy and iconic, the control is pretty good, although I wish Pit's movement was a little less floaty, and the gameplay is simple, yet diverse enough to where you won't get bored with the game easily.
The gameplay in Kid Icarus is pretty varied, with three separate gameplay styles seen throughout. The first is a 2D platformer mixed with adventure elements, where you traverse up and to the right of stages, shooting enemies, gathering hearts and hammers, while also exploring the various doors that you find along the way, where you can defeat enemies for even more hearts, buy plenty of items to aid you on your quest, gather upgrades to your bow, and face off against endurance tests to gain upgrades to your arsenal. Even after the my second time playing through it, I had a lot of fun with these levels, as it does feel pretty satisfying to conquer these stages and their challenges, with the upgrades and items also being extremely helpful for what you have to deal with throughout.
The second gameplay style would be with the fortresses at the end of each world, where you go through a dungeon-like labyrinth, freeing Centurions, buying more items that help you out, and fighting bosses to get the three Sacred Treasures. To be completely honest, I don't like these parts of the game. A lot of the rooms in these labyrinths look incredibly samey, meaning that it is incredibly easy to get lost, and it can take a long while to find the boss to get a move on. Not to mention, there's also those times when you get turned into an eggplant, and you gotta go to a hospital to take care of that, which can be a hassle.
The third and final gameplay section (also, spoilers for a 35+ year old game or whatever) is when you collect all three of the Sacred Treasures and you then enter a side scrolling shooter segment, where you also fight Medusa to beat the game. This section is also pretty good, and can be fun at times, although I wish you had a much higher firing rate for your projectiles.
In terms of overall complaints I would have with this game, I would say the difficulty could be a little too much at points, with enemy spawn points and rates can be pretty unpredictable at times, along with enemy movement being very erratic at points. In addition, in order to use several of the upgrades you get, you need to have a bigger, full health bar, which is kind of a hassle, but it isn't too hard to get there. And finally, the boss fights SUCK. Seriously, they just walk, float, or jump around, and you shoot them, that's it. There is no variety in their strategies, except for maybe a fireball or two. Hell, even with the final boss, you can literally just sit there and spam the attack button, and you won't get hit.
Overall, while it does certainly have plenty of problems, I still find the original Kid Icarus to be pretty fun and different compared to other Nintendo games at the time, and I would definitely consider it a classic of the NES library.
Game #85
Whenever people bring this series up, they mainly talk about Kid Icarus: Uprising (as they should, because that game is fucking amazing), but in terms of the original Kid Icarus, the one that started it all, it still holds up pretty well, and I had a pretty good time with it overall. I wouldn't consider it perfect by any means, but it does still hold up quite a bit after all this time.
The story is simple, yet it is enough to get you engaged (at least for me), the graphics are good, even if they don't look as good as other NES games at the time, the music is very catchy and iconic, the control is pretty good, although I wish Pit's movement was a little less floaty, and the gameplay is simple, yet diverse enough to where you won't get bored with the game easily.
The gameplay in Kid Icarus is pretty varied, with three separate gameplay styles seen throughout. The first is a 2D platformer mixed with adventure elements, where you traverse up and to the right of stages, shooting enemies, gathering hearts and hammers, while also exploring the various doors that you find along the way, where you can defeat enemies for even more hearts, buy plenty of items to aid you on your quest, gather upgrades to your bow, and face off against endurance tests to gain upgrades to your arsenal. Even after the my second time playing through it, I had a lot of fun with these levels, as it does feel pretty satisfying to conquer these stages and their challenges, with the upgrades and items also being extremely helpful for what you have to deal with throughout.
The second gameplay style would be with the fortresses at the end of each world, where you go through a dungeon-like labyrinth, freeing Centurions, buying more items that help you out, and fighting bosses to get the three Sacred Treasures. To be completely honest, I don't like these parts of the game. A lot of the rooms in these labyrinths look incredibly samey, meaning that it is incredibly easy to get lost, and it can take a long while to find the boss to get a move on. Not to mention, there's also those times when you get turned into an eggplant, and you gotta go to a hospital to take care of that, which can be a hassle.
The third and final gameplay section (also, spoilers for a 35+ year old game or whatever) is when you collect all three of the Sacred Treasures and you then enter a side scrolling shooter segment, where you also fight Medusa to beat the game. This section is also pretty good, and can be fun at times, although I wish you had a much higher firing rate for your projectiles.
In terms of overall complaints I would have with this game, I would say the difficulty could be a little too much at points, with enemy spawn points and rates can be pretty unpredictable at times, along with enemy movement being very erratic at points. In addition, in order to use several of the upgrades you get, you need to have a bigger, full health bar, which is kind of a hassle, but it isn't too hard to get there. And finally, the boss fights SUCK. Seriously, they just walk, float, or jump around, and you shoot them, that's it. There is no variety in their strategies, except for maybe a fireball or two. Hell, even with the final boss, you can literally just sit there and spam the attack button, and you won't get hit.
Overall, while it does certainly have plenty of problems, I still find the original Kid Icarus to be pretty fun and different compared to other Nintendo games at the time, and I would definitely consider it a classic of the NES library.
Game #85
This was one of those games that always kicked me in the ass, even now. Hard as hell, yet somewhat addicting to play once you get into it, but alot of things about this game really grind my gears.
I like the game but man, I think this was created by Hades himself.
I like the game but man, I think this was created by Hades himself.
It is just not happening for me. All the stereotypes people have about NES games in terms of aging poorly and being needlessly obtuse in places are ever present in this game. It's constantly playing clown music at you for daring to play the game normally. I cannot be bothered to make it past 1-2, so I won't leave a score just in case it becomes secretly amazing after that, but I seriously want nothing to do with this game after every couple years tricking myself into trying it again. Thank god Uprising exists otherwise the Kid Icarus series would just be unsalvageable.
Played this game on wii virtual console back in the days, but didn't get very far cause it was too hard for me.
Well, this game really isn't that difficult, I was just bad back then.
The music is good and there are some catchy tunes in the game.
Gameplay is overall really solid with some fun platforming. I thought the jumparc was slightly weird at first, but it didn't take that long before I got used to it.
Levels are for the most part fun, but the last level in each world is a labyrinths which could be really confusing and frustrating. There are also these eggplant enemies that turns you into an eggplant which makes you unable to attack. The only way to get back to normal is to find healing rooms around the labyrinths.
Sometimes they will hit you just as you enter their room and you almost can't dodge them.
Luckily the healing room are close to most eggplant enemies, so it could be worse. The labyrinths are still the worst part about this game and drags it down a little.
The other stages are pretty fun tho.
The first world is the hardest and then it gets easier from there cause you grt more life and damagr upgrades.
Overall the game is really soild with some stages dragging it a little down
Without those the game would be really high up in terms of NES games for me.
It is still pretty high up there.
I give Kid Icarus 3.5/5.
Well, this game really isn't that difficult, I was just bad back then.
The music is good and there are some catchy tunes in the game.
Gameplay is overall really solid with some fun platforming. I thought the jumparc was slightly weird at first, but it didn't take that long before I got used to it.
Levels are for the most part fun, but the last level in each world is a labyrinths which could be really confusing and frustrating. There are also these eggplant enemies that turns you into an eggplant which makes you unable to attack. The only way to get back to normal is to find healing rooms around the labyrinths.
Sometimes they will hit you just as you enter their room and you almost can't dodge them.
Luckily the healing room are close to most eggplant enemies, so it could be worse. The labyrinths are still the worst part about this game and drags it down a little.
The other stages are pretty fun tho.
The first world is the hardest and then it gets easier from there cause you grt more life and damagr upgrades.
Overall the game is really soild with some stages dragging it a little down
Without those the game would be really high up in terms of NES games for me.
It is still pretty high up there.
I give Kid Icarus 3.5/5.
The prequel of my favorite videogame ever!
Kid Icarus is a weird one.
It's definitely the black sheep of the classic Nintendo line-up from 1986, while also combining a lot of things that made the other NES juggernaut great. It has the shooting combat of Metroid, the Dungeon exploration from Zelda, the platforming of Mario and some slighlt RPG elements.
In terms of tone is a weird one: it takes "inspiration" fro greek mythology while also adding hospitals, credit cards, eggplant magic, and an enemy that makes fun of the composers's nose (yes, that is real).
It was supposed to be this grand adventure at the time, but the tight release schedule led to harsh compromises the help of the Metroid developers, that miracolously stichted the game together with duct tape in the final month (even passing the winter holidays in the office with cardboard beds) and making the final sections of the game in like a day.
FOr that, this title has a lot of weird aspects about it, but also... that is what makes it stand out. Despite it's flaws, I argue that this oddities makes it for an interesting title that stood the test of time.
Try it if you can, it is a good time
(then maybe go try play Kid Icarus Uprising, the absolute incredible sequel)
Kid Icarus is a weird one.
It's definitely the black sheep of the classic Nintendo line-up from 1986, while also combining a lot of things that made the other NES juggernaut great. It has the shooting combat of Metroid, the Dungeon exploration from Zelda, the platforming of Mario and some slighlt RPG elements.
In terms of tone is a weird one: it takes "inspiration" fro greek mythology while also adding hospitals, credit cards, eggplant magic, and an enemy that makes fun of the composers's nose (yes, that is real).
It was supposed to be this grand adventure at the time, but the tight release schedule led to harsh compromises the help of the Metroid developers, that miracolously stichted the game together with duct tape in the final month (even passing the winter holidays in the office with cardboard beds) and making the final sections of the game in like a day.
FOr that, this title has a lot of weird aspects about it, but also... that is what makes it stand out. Despite it's flaws, I argue that this oddities makes it for an interesting title that stood the test of time.
Try it if you can, it is a good time
(then maybe go try play Kid Icarus Uprising, the absolute incredible sequel)
If Pit is canonically unable to read, how did he understand anyone in this game?
Pros:
+The music is catchy
+Controls are tight. I never once felt like I wasn't in control even in the tight platforming sections in the last world.
+Rewards the player for getting a high score since score is based on how your health increases. Considering score is an arbitrary thing in most games it's nice to have a reason for it.
+Likewise with health, you can get stronger arrows by exploring every doorway, and you can get the extra items by completing challenges, also in doorways. There's a huge sense of power creep for the players who put in the time and effort and it feels great, while it's still possible to ignore everything for a hard mode run.
Cons:
-There are 3 types of enemies that really stop this game from being a very solid platformer. The first is the flying enemies that can move through walls. Their massive amount of mobility combined with your relative lack of it often feels far too unfair. The second is enemies that pop out of the sky or ground directly onto you without warning. The third is the eggplant enemy. Those three enemies alone (which to be fair take up a large amount of the enemy types) turn what should be fun skill-based action platformer into rage inducing damage sponging.
-Like with a lot of old games NOTHING is actually explained in-game. I assume you're supposed to use the manual to learn what all the items do and such, but as I was playing on the Switch's Nes emulator I had no such thing, so I had to have google handy at all times.
-All 3 dungeons felt the exact same.
Mixed/Not important enough to be a pro or con:
~The game honestly gets easier as it goes on. The actual difficulty never really increases imo, but the extra health, strength and weapons you get mean that the first levels where you're working with nothing are by far the hardest.
Notes/Comments:
•Kid Icarus deserved to be a long running series like Mario and Zelda. Too bad the series went into sleep until Uprising and has been dead since.
+The music is catchy
+Controls are tight. I never once felt like I wasn't in control even in the tight platforming sections in the last world.
+Rewards the player for getting a high score since score is based on how your health increases. Considering score is an arbitrary thing in most games it's nice to have a reason for it.
+Likewise with health, you can get stronger arrows by exploring every doorway, and you can get the extra items by completing challenges, also in doorways. There's a huge sense of power creep for the players who put in the time and effort and it feels great, while it's still possible to ignore everything for a hard mode run.
Cons:
-There are 3 types of enemies that really stop this game from being a very solid platformer. The first is the flying enemies that can move through walls. Their massive amount of mobility combined with your relative lack of it often feels far too unfair. The second is enemies that pop out of the sky or ground directly onto you without warning. The third is the eggplant enemy. Those three enemies alone (which to be fair take up a large amount of the enemy types) turn what should be fun skill-based action platformer into rage inducing damage sponging.
-Like with a lot of old games NOTHING is actually explained in-game. I assume you're supposed to use the manual to learn what all the items do and such, but as I was playing on the Switch's Nes emulator I had no such thing, so I had to have google handy at all times.
-All 3 dungeons felt the exact same.
Mixed/Not important enough to be a pro or con:
~The game honestly gets easier as it goes on. The actual difficulty never really increases imo, but the extra health, strength and weapons you get mean that the first levels where you're working with nothing are by far the hardest.
Notes/Comments:
•Kid Icarus deserved to be a long running series like Mario and Zelda. Too bad the series went into sleep until Uprising and has been dead since.
Probably the worst difficulty curve I've experienced. The first level is hell (both figuratively and literally) but after that it gets progressively easier. Not only due to you tanking more but the level design also gets more forgiving. Oh and the flying controls for the final level feel terrible. Other than that: Fun and cute platformer with some interesting mechanics
more like dumb fuckarus
this game is such absolute horeshit dogpiss fuckass but the eggplant cool!
I like the ability to aim upwards, but the movement and short range both bring this game down. Also, healing items can be ridiculously expensive especially considering the amount that they heal
really solid actually! jump physics feel super tight and enjoyable, level design is generally tough but fair, but most interesting and important to me is the way that the game plays with conventions in a surprisingly forward-thinking way. going from upwards to lateral travel in world 2 was a surprising, exciting change of pace, and the total genre switch during the final boss was awesome and a super memorable way to close out the game, just delightful to see stuff like this in an older title. other details, like freeing little angel guys in the dungeons only for them to help out in your battle against the boss, just bustle with imagination and whimsy. curious about a world in which this got a ton of iterative sequels like its 1986 siblings metroid and zelda. it's lacking a bit of the wow factor and cohesiveness of those games, but is still a remarkably fun time nonetheless.
This game can be punishing for newcomers due to its challenging mechanics (missable upgrades, game loops and difficulty), but the enjoyable gameplay and level design, along with upbeat music, make up for it. However, the bosses might feel dull. Patience is key, but it's worth the fun!